This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often include displays. For example, cellular telephones and portable computers often include displays for presenting information to a user.
When touched by a user, a display may be exposed to electrostatic charge. Displays are often provided with electrostatic discharge shielding layers to prevent damage to display structures. An electrostatic shielding layer prevents electrostatic charge from imposing damaging electric fields on underlying display structures and thereby prevents damage to a display during electrostatic discharge events. Electrostatic shielding layers are formed from conductive materials to provide a low-resistance path through which electrostatic charge can be removed from display surfaces. Electrostatic shielding layers are also transparent to allow content on a display to be viewed by a user.
A commonly used material that is both transparent and conductive and that can therefore be used in forming an electrostatic discharge shielding layer is indium tin oxide. With one conventional arrangement, a layer of indium tin oxide of about 200-300 angstroms in thickness or more is formed between an upper surface of a display color filter glass layer and a lower surface of an upper polarizer. Indium tin oxide electrostatic shielding layers with this type of conventional configuration may be satisfactory for providing adequate shielding and display transparency, but can give rise to undesirable light reflections from a display. In the presence of excessive reflections, content on a display may appear washed out and difficult to view by a user.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved displays having low reflectivity surfaces with electrostatic discharge shielding.